Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any steps she is taking to support women working in the (i) hospitality; and (ii) night-time economy.
Minister for the Economy: My Department along with Tourism NI and industry stakeholders have been developing a Tourism and Hospitality skills plan. This plan will support the skills needs of all those wishing to pursue and progress a career in the hospitality sector.
My Employment Bill will also provide many positive benefits for women working in these sectors by enhancing rights which support work life balance. Legislative improvements to flexible working will support employees to access flexible working and encourage employers to proactively integrate flexibility into job design from the outset of employment.
Introducing unpaid carer’s leave will support many women managing caregiving responsibilities for relatives. Eligible parents will also benefit from improved neonatal care leave and pay, ensuring that those whose newborns require extended medical attention can better focus on their child’s needs.
Revisions to paternity leave will afford families greater flexibility and extending redundancy protections for pregnant employees and those returning from family leave will further strengthen workforce participation among women.
Women will also benefit from the full range of enhanced rights which my Bill will introduce, including the right to move from a zero hours to a banded hours contract and enhanced trade union rights.
Alongside this I will bring forward regulations to operationalise safe leave to provide support to workers who are the victims of domestic abuse. Together, these provisions are designed to foster a more inclusive, supportive, and adaptable workplace culture, where women in these sectors are empowered to balance their professional and personal responsibilities with confidence.
My Department, TNI and the three Belfast BIDs jointly funded first of its kind research into the night-time economy. The findings indicated that enhanced late-night public transport could deliver a significant economic boost for Belfast. This evidence supported me, along with the Minister for Infrastructure, in persuading four other Ministers and Belfast City Council to co-fund a one-year pilot of enhanced late-night public transport in Belfast, supported by city’s Night-Czar, Michael Stewart. This will help women working in the night-time economy to get home safely.
ENDS
Your MLA 